Eikonphoto Posted November 12, 2007 Share #1 Posted November 12, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Is the Leica Service Tracking site working? Does Leica NJ believe that fax and email are the work of the devil? I was hoping the Pro care service might be a bit more aware of speed. Several weeks after overnighting my M8 with the ding in the shutter to NJ, I called. I was given a tracking number, which does not work in their tracking system and told that an estimate would be sent via postal mail to me at some point. The person was very shocked at the concept of a fax machine ( I did not even want to mention the possibility of email) and of course, since then there has been no sign of the estimate. I called again this afternoon and had exactly the same conversation. Ground hog day. When I mentioned that I do need this camera to earn a living, there was a pause, which is either shock that someone who owns a Leica actually has to work, or alternatively that somehow that fact should make a difference in the way in which things have always been done. Jeez - I really did not want my repair service experience to be like this ......... D3 here I come I guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Eikonphoto Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share #2 Posted November 12, 2007 Woohoo - Hold the presses. I received a fax with the estimate. A step in the right direction. The bad news ...... they would like to charge me 487.00 to replace a shutter, which I feel should be under the warranty. I have been promised a phone call back from Sarah tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted November 12, 2007 Share #3 Posted November 12, 2007 May I ask how the shutter got a ding in it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted November 12, 2007 Share #4 Posted November 12, 2007 Woohoo - Hold the presses. I received a fax with the estimate. A step in the right direction. The bad news ...... they would like to charge me 487.00 to replace a shutter, which I feel should be under the warranty. I have been promised a phone call back from Sarah tomorrow. Yeah that is just BS. Move this up the chain of command to get it resolved under warranty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
george + Posted November 12, 2007 Share #5 Posted November 12, 2007 Interesting. Just for the record I have always been treated well by the New Jersey folks. And I am not even a professional photographer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 12, 2007 Share #6 Posted November 12, 2007 When I mentioned that I do need this camera to earn a living, there was a pause, which is either shock that someone who owns a Leica actually has to work, or alternatively that somehow that fact should make a difference in the way in which things have always been done. .....or shock that someone who relies on a mechanical/electronic tool for their living doesn't have another as a back-up......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eikonphoto Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share #7 Posted November 12, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) May I ask how the shutter got a ding in it? I would love to know that myself. It's mysterious, because I rarely ever change lenses and the ones I use are exclusively 75mm or 35 summicron (since the noctilux has been away being adjusted for some months now) I have not cleaned my sensor in forever - and I'm paranoid when I do (it helps that I shoot pretty much exclusively wide open). It is just very weird. At the beginning of the shoot - absolutely fine - go to change lenses and see the slightest ding - and it's inside out like something on the other side did it .... some little knome trapped in there or something. I stopped shooting with it immediately and contacted Leica NJ within a couple of days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eikonphoto Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share #8 Posted November 12, 2007 .....or shock that someone who relies on a mechanical/electronic tool for their living doesn't have another as a back-up......... Indeed I do, several Nikon D2X's ..... I suppose Leica would prefer everyone to buy two bodies since there is a decent chance one will be being fixed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted November 12, 2007 Share #9 Posted November 12, 2007 Leaving aside the warranty issue, I think $487 is not unreasonable to replace the shutter, actually. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
newyorkone Posted November 13, 2007 Share #10 Posted November 13, 2007 There have been threads about other failed shutters and from what I can recall those were all covered under warranty. If you know that you didn't damage the shutter by something you did then I would press Leica to make good on their warranty. Hope everything works out for you... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted November 13, 2007 Share #11 Posted November 13, 2007 Leaving aside the warranty issue, I think $487 is not unreasonable to replace the shutter, actually. I think the replacement shutter in my Mamiya 645AFD was about the same cost. It does seem unlikely that any user error short of a cleaning mishap or dropping something into the shutter would cause a ding. If it wasn't something like this then it seems likely it ought to be a warranty fix. It's not the only case of this reported on this forum after all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Ortego Posted November 13, 2007 Share #12 Posted November 13, 2007 I’m new to the Leica fold although after reading several posts on this forum, it appears that Leica NJ is as professional as a lemonade stand. Likewise, there are quite a few incidents where the shutter curtains are mysteriously damaged. I doubt seriously if anyone who spends 5k on an M8 would be so consistently reckless. Regards, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eikonphoto Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share #13 Posted November 13, 2007 Mark I agree it's not unreasonable. What's unreasonable is that it should happen on a camera that is less than a year old and only has about 8K actuations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 13, 2007 Share #14 Posted November 13, 2007 Indeed I do, several Nikon D2X's ..... I suppose Leica would prefer everyone to buy two bodies since there is a decent chance one will be being fixed. It's a pretty standard approach of some quality manufacturers, think of cars like Alfa Romeo, Jaguar and Ferrari! Hope Leica come good on your repair. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gesper Posted November 13, 2007 Share #15 Posted November 13, 2007 It's a pretty standard approach of some quality manufacturers, think of cars like Alfa Romeo, Jaguar and Ferrari! Hope Leica come good on your repair. I went through through this exact same scenario with my shutter. I have also owned a Jaguar for the last ten years and have had zero problems in terms of getting coverage in and out of warranty, not to mention always getting repairs within a day of when I call. No comparison with Leica, which is truly living in the Sixties in this regard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eikonphoto Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share #16 Posted November 13, 2007 I went through through this exact same scenario with my shutter. I have also owned a Jaguar for the last ten years and have had zero problems in terms of getting coverage in and out of warranty, not to mention always getting repairs within a day of when I call. No comparison with Leica, which is truly living in the Sixties in this regard. When I spoke with Sarah yesterday and protested this not being covered by the warranty she said she would talk with the technician. Today I received a call back to say the technician says it must be mishandling because they had no other explanation. I stayed quite calm, but emphasized that I have not even cleaned my sensor in forever, only use Leica acceptable lenses and if changing the lens or actually using the camera is considered mishandling then we will need to have a little talk higher up the food chain. Sarah even asked if I let other people use my M8 - Ha! For the record - no! Actually I am furious. The sheer arrogance is gob smacking. Sarah is perfectly pleasant on the phone but it is this Leica mindset which is infuriating. This is not going well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gesper Posted November 13, 2007 Share #17 Posted November 13, 2007 Try Robert Fisk. If nothing else, this will not be the first time he has heard this exact same thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Ortego Posted November 13, 2007 Share #18 Posted November 13, 2007 I wonder if it’s possible that under certain dynamics, the M8 shutter curtain flexes off axis during actuation and results in damage. I’m having a hard time accepting anything but extreme TLC from M8 owners when handling their equipment. Regards,. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted November 13, 2007 Share #19 Posted November 13, 2007 I'm throwing this out there completly speculatively... I know that rangefinders with cloth shutters, one had to be carful not to point the lens toward the sun for prolonged periods or risk burning a hole in the shutter. Leica FAQ - Burning a hole in your shutter curtain So maybe under some rare conditions, part of the shutter is getting heated up (from the sun or internal electronics) and distorted. I'm just throwing this out there. I'm no Richard Feynman. (The Space Shuttle photos made me think of him.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eikonphoto Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share #20 Posted November 13, 2007 I'm throwing this out there completly speculatively... I know that rangefinders with cloth shutters, one had to be carful not to point the lens toward the sun for prolonged periods or risk burning a hole in the shutter. Leica FAQ - Burning a hole in your shutter curtain So maybe under some rare conditions, part of the shutter is getting heated up (from the sun or internal electronics) and distorted. I'm just throwing this out there. I'm no Richard Feynman. (The Space Shuttle photos made me think of him.) An interesting idea, but while I was inside and out during that day, it was not warm or sunny at all. I don't think that could be a factor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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